Lottery fever has swept America as a nationwide jackpot rocketed to $636m - the second-largest in US history.
近期一股彩票热席卷美国，全国范围内的累积奖金已经达到6.36亿美元——这是美国彩票历史上第二高。
Long queues were reported in stores selling tickets, which are available in 43 US states.
The current American jackpot record is $656m - that was split between three winners in 2012.
If no winner is picked in Tuesday evening's Mega Millions draw, the total could hit $1bn by Friday.
The jackpot was previously estimated at $586m, but on Tuesday lottery officials increased their prediction due to strong ticket sales.
'Time for believing'
Undeterred by odds of one in 259 million, large queues of would-be winners formed at petrol stations and convenience stores.
If received in a lump cash sum as opposed to an annuity, the total would be $341m, a lottery official reported.
"I feel it. I believe. It's Christmas. It's time for believing and I know I'm going to win it," Nesha Isahak told Reuters news agency as she bought her ticket at a newsstand in Manhattan, New York.
"I think there's absolutely no way I am going to win this lottery," Tanya Joosten, 39, told the Associated Press news agency in Milwaukee. "But it's hard for such a small amount of money to not take the chance."
Not every winner need necessarily face the standard news conference with the bottle of bubbly andchunky（矮胖的） cardboard cheque.
Six US states allow lottery winners to remain anonymous: South Carolina, Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota and Ohio.
In several other states, it is reportedly possible for winners to keep their names secret by claiming their jackpot through a trust or a limited liability company.
